


Falling Through Time

by havocthecat



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Female Friendship, Gen, Queer Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-19
Updated: 2008-03-02
Packaged: 2017-11-04 19:56:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/397624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havocthecat/pseuds/havocthecat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Doppelganger, Kate doesn't die, but is flung into Earth's past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FalconHorus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalconHorus/gifts).



> Originally posted as a [very long LJ comment](http://havocthecat.livejournal.com/651344.html?thread=5303888#t5303888) and then [over on Wraithbait](http://wraithbait.com/viewstory.php?sid=11907&chapter=8).

"See who I am,  
Break through the surface.  
Reach for my hand,  
Let's show them that we can  
Free our minds and find a way.  
The world is in our hands,  
This is not the end."

*

She's flung from Atlantis' towers, but as Kate sinks through the ocean, she finds herself in a garden. It's lush growth like she's never seen outside of Atlantis' greenhouses, and as she looks at the sky, she sees unfamiliar stars.

It takes her a minute to realize she's on Earth. "Some dream," mutters Kate. The guttering torchlight doesn't block the stars, and she's never seen them quite so clearly. Not on Earth. 

She starts walking, trying to figure out where she is. There's a roughly-hewn stone wall surrounding the garden, with solid mortar and chisel marks on the stone. Kate runs her fingers over them, then dusts her hand off on her pants. The only sounds she can hear are the chirping of crickets and the call of a nearby owl.

She starts forward again and glances up at the full moon. Her foot catches on a root, and Kate stumbles forward, just as someone with blonde hair runs around the corner. They collide, catching each other. Their eyes meet and widen.

"This is the strangest dream I've ever had," says Kate. The blonde girl looks just like her, only younger. She's in a blue dress with silver embroidery, and the way she stares at Kate's khaki slacks and loose red hair says she's just as amazed as Kate.

"I am not dreaming," says the girl. She's speaking French, which Kate knows, if not well, but this is a different sort of French. So how can Kate understand her? "Who are you? How is it that your face mirrors mine so closely?"

They haven't let go of each other yet, so the girl is able to reach out and touch Kate's face. "From where I'm standing, you're the one who looks like me."

"Your words are very strange," says the girl, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Yet I am able to understand them. Is this some form of magic?"

"I hadn't realized the translating effect of the gates worked like this." The thought that this isn't a dream is alarming. Maybe Teyla's confrontation with the entity somehow sent her to an alternate universe? "What's your name?"

"I am Lady Fleur de Brabant." The girl straightens and squares her shoulders as her hands fall to her sides. "And you?"

"Dr. Kate Heightmeyer." Kate's not prepared for the amazement on Fleur's face.

"A female doctor?" Fleur shakes her head. "I am accounted a skilled healer, but to be considered a doctor is not possible for a woman."

With that bit of news, it all adds up. The clothing, the lack of electricity, the brightness of the stars all make sense now. When it finally sinks in, Kate shakes her head. The mirrored gestures don't escape her, but she has more important things to worry about. "I'm in the Middle Ages. On Earth."

"Are you touched?" asks Fleur. She looks concerned.

The irony of a psychiatrist being asked if she's insane makes Kate smile. "No. No, I'm not touched," she says. "I'm just not sure if you'll believe me."

"I am aware that there is a great deal that I do not know," says Fleur. She glances up at the stars, then frowns slightly. "There are things that I do not know, but I should know them."

"Fleur--" On impulse, Kate reaches for Fleur's hand. She's surprised when Fleur lets her take it. "No one knows everything. I'm sure you know that."

The way Fleur's grip tightens surprises Kate. "You are not supposed to be here."

Kate smiles. "No. There were problems where I'm from. My friends are likely very worried now."

"How will you return to them?" asks Fleur. They draw nearer to each other. Kate's amazed at the gentle touch of Fleur's lips against hers. "I feel that we are close. There must be some reason God has sent you here."

"It wasn't God." Kate's certain the entity hadn't meant to do this.

"God works through others," says Fleur. She turns, still holding onto Kate's hand, and tugs. Kate follows her around the corner and sees a castle. "And you are here for a reason. Come. I will lend you some dresses, and we will tell our friends that you are my elder sister. Nicolas' twin, I think, married and widowed, now returning here."

***

"You are a lover of women?" Fleur turns to Kate, her arms full of dresses, and Kate stands up to help her lay them out on a table. "The russet underdress, I think, with the green tunic. That will suffice for when you visit my mother's rooms."

"They're beautiful." Kate smoothes her hand down the linen underdress before she looks up at Fleur. "And yes, I'm a lover of women, if that's how you want to put it. I've never been attracted to a man."

"Nor have I." Fleur's voice is hushed. "Though I will be expected to marry and bear children."

It fits with what Kate's heard of this era. "I'm sorry," she says.

"Our paths are laid down for us from birth," she says, with a slight shrug. "It must be this way. I do not mind the thought of children, though my fiance is--"

Kate wrinkles her nose. "Unattractive?" she asks.

"I know it is considered vain to bathe frequently, but must he truly only bathe but once a year?" asks Fleur plaintively. 

The basics of germ theory alone have Kate shuddering at the thought. "That's appalling."

"It is common," says Fleur. "I am aware that I am considered forward, but my family's name is good, and our lands are fruitful. My future husband's family has very little, but he is of high station."

"Sounds like a blast." Kate's voice is dry, and Fleur looks at her with a hint of puzzlement. "Sorry."

"Take off these strange garments and try the dresses," says Fleur. She gestures back at her wardrobe. "I will hide them in here. The washerwomen and the maids do not look in the back."

"All right." Kate nods and toes off her sneakers. She's going to miss having arch supports in her shoes until she can get back to Atlantis. 

When she's down to her bra and panties, Fleur is gaping. "To wear so few clothes seems indecent."

"Not to me, it doesn't," says Kate. She reaches for the underdress.

"I have that same mark." Fleur is amazed. "Who are you?"

Kate glances down at where Fleur is staring. There's a small port wine starburst low on her hip. "This?" Kate touches the birthmark with her fingertips. "I've had it since I was born."

"May I?" Fleur reaches out even as she asks for permission, and when Kate nods, she wipes her fingers across the mark. "It is not painted on."

"I don't know how this happened," says Kate. She bunches the dress in her fist and drags it off the table. 

"We will trust that there is a good reason," says Fleur. "Until we know what it is, you may stay here. My mother is old; I would do well with younger companionship."

***

The lights brighten, and the sound of the ocean jolts Kate. She's used to living without it now, but sometimes she still feels the tides in her blood. 

"Where are we?" Fleur's arm is hooked around hers. They've both paused. Fleur is looking around in amazement. "This is all so strange. Kate, is this place familiar to you?"

It's Atlantis. They're in the control tower of Atlantis. Elizabeth and Teyla are rushing down the stairs, and everyone else in the room is staring. "I'm home." Sunlight streams through the stained glass windows, and Kate swears to herself that she's never leaving again.

"Kate." John is here too, standing next to Elizabeth and Teyla. She didn't see him walk in. "You brought your younger identical twin to visit?"

"How long have I been gone?" asks Kate. She shakes her head in disbelief as Teyla engulfs her in an embrace.

"Almost a year," says Teyla. She touches Kate's hair. It's back to being blonde, if a darker shade of blonde than usual. "Though your hair is longer than a year's growth would have it."

"It has been several years since Kate came to us," says Fleur. She tilts her chin as Elizabeth studies her. "I began to feel she would never leave."

"Did you go visit the Renaissance Faire or something?" asks John. He nudges Kate's floor-length skirt with his foot.

"Or something," says Kate. "It's complicated."

"We'll accompany you both to the infirmary," says Elizabeth, smiling warmly. "I'm glad you're back."

"After we see Carson," says Kate, turning and walking with Elizabeth. She doesn't let go of Fleur's arm. "I'd like a shower. You have no idea how often I've dreamed of unlimited hot water."

\--end--


	2. Timestamp Meme: One Month Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One month after Falling Through Time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted [as LJ comment fic](http://havocthecat.livejournal.com/721536.html?thread=6251648#t6251648).

"It is very kind of you to do this for me," says Fleur. She accepts the mug of tea that Carson gives her. "Kate has told me of you, Dr. Beckett."

"All good things, I hope," says Carson, with a grin.

"You haven't told her too much, have you?" asks Elizabeth, "For the sake of the timeline, if you were really in medieval France."

"As far as I can tell, it was," says Kate. She's inhaling the scent of a mug of coffee. "There was no chocolate, Elizabeth. My sole source of caffeine and sugar for the past three years was tea and honey."

"Genetically, Kate, you and Fleur here seem to be identical," says Carson. "I've run a number of tests over the past month, and, I have to tell you, I'm stumped."

Kate holds her hand out for Carson's tablet with a curious look, and he hands it to her. "I'm not surprised," she says, studying it. "We have matching birthmarks."

"You have matching birthmarks?" Kate glances over to see John trying not to look curious. He's failing, of course. "How'd you find that out? And, uh, where are they?"

"You are very forward," Fleur tells him, and John smiles charmingly at her.

"She's married, John," says Kate. She meets Fleur's gaze, and sees her own impatience there.

"It's nearly 2009, Kate," says John. "She's a widow."

Teyla is watching them both. "Your expressions are identical," she says. "Even if you are genetically identical, you should behave differently."

Kate purses her lips and shrugs. "We've gotten used to it, I suppose."

"I'm sure we'll figure out what caused it," says Elizabeth. She smiles reassuringly. "After you disappeared, we sealed off your room. Your possessions are all still in there."

"Thank God," says Kate. "Underwear."

John coughs. "Didn't need to know that, Kate," he says. "Though if you want to tell me all about your underwearless adventures in medieval France, I'd be more than happy to listen."

"Does he treat all noble women this way?" asks Fleur. She gives John an arch look, then turns her gaze back to Kate. "Are there no pillories in the future, Kate?"

"He might get sued for sexual harassment if he keeps it up," says Kate. She gives John a wry look. "John, please remember that medieval France had wildly different mores and customs. Also that I'm not interested in your half of the species."

"I keep hoping that if I hit on you enough, that'll change," drawls John.

"He is allowed to beat you?" asks Fleur. She looks worried. "I thought you told me when we arrived here that it was disallowed."

"Have fun explaining that one," says John. He smirks at her. "I could drag you out behind the woodshed, sweetie."

"Did you build a woodshed in the past year?" Kate chuckles and turns to Fleur. "Hitting on someone has a different connotation, Fleur. In this case, it means that John is making sexual advances."

"But if you are a lesbian--" begins Fleur.

"I live in hope of changing her mind," says John. "You know, Kate, if you'd just try it--"

"I really wouldn't," says Kate, smiling.

\--end--


End file.
